


afternoon rain

by kiyala



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Exes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 10:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20388148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: In which Rom is a teacher and Shuuzo is the school doctor.





	afternoon rain

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [romushu_1dw](https://twitter.com/romushu_1dw) @ twitter! The prompt was Rom-sensei and Dream Galaxy School Doctor Shu☆zo

It had been raining all day, the afternoon getting colder as it wore on, and Rom was nowhere near close to being finished with his work. He had an entire pile of papers sitting on his desk in the staffroom that still needed grading and he was already exhausted. He was sure that everyone else had gone home already and the cup of tea that he'd made for himself when he first started was still sitting there, untouched and stone cold, and as much as he wanted to get up and make himself another one, he didn't want to stretch this out for any longer than it had to be. 

He startled when he heard a cup being placed on the table, just by his elbow. He looked up, frowning as he realised it was Shuuzo, the school doctor. 

"It's a bit late for you to still be here, isn't it?" Rom asked, pausing his grading just long enough to take a sip of the tea. It was warm, without being too hot, and Rom put the cup down, feeling an uncomfortable twist in his chest. Shuuzo knew that he didn't like food or drinks that were too hot. He hated every reminder he got of just how well Shuuzo knew him. 

"This kind of weather always means that we end up with at least one student sick," Shuuzo said. "If you're not careful and keep over-working yourself, it's not just going to be the students who end up getting sick."

"I have to grade these," Rom replied, picking his pen back up and taking the next sheet of paper from his pile. "It's my job."

Shuuzo hummed in thought, picking up the next paper in the pile and examining it. "You know, I had one of the students come into my clinic who was telling me about how she was waiting to get the marks from this test. They don't get their marks back until the end of the week. Why are you pushing yourself to get them all done now?" 

"I have a lot to get through," Rom replied.

"Rom," Shuuzo placed the paper in his hand back onto the pile. "It's Tuesday afternoon." 

"And I have lesson plans. And a new assignment that I know is going to be challenging. I can already tell that some of the kids are going to come to me to ask for advice about it during my lunch breaks, so I won't be able to get my marking done then. I'm just trying to make sure I get everything done—" 

"Rom." Shuuzo's voice was firmer this time. He placed his hand on Rom's head, pushing him back until he was leaning back in his chair. With a sigh, Shuuzo sat on the edge of Rom's desk and looked down at him, and the tenderness in his eyes was unbearable. Rom averted his gaze, only to have Shuuzo's fingers skim down the side of his face and settle on his chin. 

"Damn it, Shuu." Rom shut his eyes and grit his teeth together. "You don't get to do this to me. Not now." 

Shuuzo hummed softly. "I guess it's been a while coming." 

Rom still remembered that staff meeting, over a year ago now, when he'd walked into the room to meet the new school doctor that was being appointed, only to come face to face with the one person he was never expecting to cross paths with ever again. They'd been friends, back when they both attended this exact high school. They'd been more than that, too, but that was something Rom didn't want to think about. He'd assumed it was something Shuuzo didn't want to think about either, considering the fact that he treated Rom just like he treated the other members of the faculty; like a stranger that he'd never met before. 

"We were arguing at the start of last week," Shuuzo murmured. "Well. I was baiting you and you were falling for it. You were always so easy to rile up, weren't you? And you said it. You called me _Shuu_. An entire year—more than a year—of avoiding it, of calling me Shuuzo-sensei like everyone else, but you called me Shuu." 

Rom turned his head away from Shuuzo's touch. "It was a mistake." 

"You did it again, just before," Shuuzo pointed out. "Is that how you still think of me? As Shuu, from back then?" 

Rom pushed his chair back, to get more space between them. He didn't know how to answer Shuuzo's question. He didn't want to put words to the fact that back then, when Shuuzo was just Shuu, he'd meant the entire world to Rom. It wasn't a simple matter of letting go of the past. He didn't know how to overwrite something so important, how to cover it in glitter and call it something else, the way Shuuzo did. 

Realising that he wasn't going to get his answer, Shuuzo sighed and gave Rom a tired smile. "Okay, I'll drop it. But you're leaving the rest of your grading for tomorrow, okay?"

"Weren't you listening to me?" Rom asked, frowning. "I need to get on top of this so I can—"

"So you can be a good teacher for your students," Shuuzo nodded. "I know. Believe me, I know how important this is to you. I know you want to be there for your students, to push them and support them and help them be the best that they can be. You're doing just fine, Rom. The students like me, you know? They talk to me?" 

"You don't need to rub it in," Rom muttered.

"I'm trying to tell you that they like you too," Shuuzo told him. "You're firm with them. You don't let them slack off. Sometimes you scare them. But they think you're the coolest teacher in the whole school. Half the students want to be like you when they grow up. The other half probably want to marry you."

"I hope you're not encouraging inappropriate conversation in the school clinic," Rom said, raising an eyebrow. 

Shuuzo laughed. "Me? Of course I've listened to people talking about their crush on Rom-sensei. Usually, I tell them to give up. Sometimes I tell them you're married. Or that you have a partner. Anything to make them realise they don't have a chance."

Rom took a deep breath, then stood up. "Alright, fine. Come on." 

"Hm?" Shuuzo blinked at him. "Where are we going?"

"We're going home," Rom told him. He filed the waiting papers away, separate to the ones he'd already graded, then picked up his bag. "I noticed you didn't have an umbrella in the clinic when I walked one of the students there earlier. We'll share mine. I'll walk you home." 

Shuuzo smiled. Rom turned away before he did something ridiculous like smile back.

"Do you know where I live?" Shuuzo asked, as they walked down the street together. Their sides were pressed against each other and Shuuzo linked their arms to bring them just that little bit closer under the shelter of the umbrella. 

"I've just seen you walk this way when you leave," Rom muttered, wishing it wasn't so embarrassing to admit something so small. "That's all I know."

"And you walk in the opposite direction," Shuuzo hummed. "But you're still walking me?" 

"Well, you don't have an umbrella." Rom's tail flicked from side to side and he was glad Shuuzo couldn't see it. "What's the school going to do if the school doctor himself gets sick, huh?"

Shuuzo smiled, tightening his grip on Rom's arm. "This way." 

It was a relatively short walk. Rom was glad for it, not knowing what he'd do if he had to stay pressed up against Shuuzo like this for any longer. Shuuzo lived in a nice apartment block with its own lobby and reception desk. Rom nodded in goodbye as Shuuzo finally released his grip, ignoring the fact that his entire side felt colder for it. 

"Wait," Shuuzo called, as Rom turned to leave. "Why don't you come in to dry off and warm up for a while before you head home?" 

Rom sighed. "Shuuzo-sensei, I should just—" 

"As colleagues," Shuuzo said. He held Rom's gaze, and the tenderness was back. "Or as old friends. Or…" 

"Yeah," Rom breathed, without quite thinking about it. He lowered his umbrella, not needing it under the shelter of the apartment entrance. "Okay."

Shuuzo smiled, reaching for Rom's arm again. This time, Rom found that he didn't want Shuuzo to let go.


End file.
